Bless the Broken Road
by AtLoLevad
Summary: Tessa has been alone for centuries. But now that she's in New York in modern day, she gets the shock of her long life when she sees her long dead husband, Will, on the street. Wessa.


**A/N: Hi guys! I know you've been waiting forever for this one since I've been teasing it on Tumblr for weeks. It's finally here and I'm super proud of it. it's a 20 page Word document, so hopefully it'll keep you occupied for a bit =)**

**I'd really love and appreciate reviews, as I have been working on this for weeks. For now, this will be a one and done. Unless of course, you guys have prompts and additional chapters that you'd like to see. Those can either be put in a review, or messaged to me on Tumblr, flowercrownoswald. **

**I do have to warn you guys that this is heavy Wessa. Jem does make an appearance or two, but Im not a big fan of his, and there won't be any Jessa at all since I don't ship it, or even remotely like it. Um, I think that's all that I needed to say, so please enjoy and review! =)**

* * *

Tessa woke up screaming, just as she had for the past few days. She blinked, trying to adjust to the darkness in the living room. Her shirt was stuck to her body with sweat and she was shaking.

"Tess? Are you okay?" Jem came into the room silently, startling Tessa. She shook her head.

"Don't. Please don't call me that." She chewed on her thumbnail and pulled her knees to her chest.

Jem looked hurt, but Tessa could barely care. He moved closer to the couch, but didn't sit. "Do you know…"

"What I was screaming?" Tessa interrupted. Of course she knew. "I was screaming for Will." It was always for Will. She couldn't seem to stop screaming for Will.

"Oh," Jem exhaled, "Is there anything…"

Tessa shook her head, "No. Thank you. I've been dealing with these bouts for over a century."

The implied _'alone'_ was not lost on Jem and he hated himself for it. Tessa's body still shook and there were tears trailing down her cheeks. Jem had never seen her look so broken.

"Do they…happen often?" He asked tentatively.

Tessa shrugged, "Every few years or so. Magnus helps me a lot." She twisted the wedding ring on her finger. As far as Jem knew, she had never taken it off.

"How does he help? Maybe I can be Magnus for a little bit?" Jem took a seat in the armchair next to the couch.

Tessa looked at him, her eyes blank. "We talk. A lot. About Will. And James and Lucie. Sometimes about Charlotte and Cecy and Henry."

Jem frowned, he didn't know nearly enough about Tessa's happy memories to help her. They both knew it. Which was probably why Tessa said,

"Don't worry about it, Jem. I can call Magnus. Or I think I'll try to go back to sleep." She tucked herself into the corner of the couch and pulled the blanket over her lap. She closed her eyes and Jem frowned slightly before getting up and leaving the room.

On his way back to his bedroom, Jem couldn't help but think that Tessa's nightmares had been his fault in some way. He was, after all, the one who had introduced her to Jace. The young man, despite his blonde hair, looked so very much like his great-great-great-grandfather. Tessa had been so conflicted when Jem had asked if she had wanted to meet him.

She had told him that she hadn't wanted to keep contact with her family, and that after Will's death, the hardest thing she had to do was leave James and Lucie and her grandchildren behind. But he had pushed her, had convinced her that meeting Jace would be a good idea.

"You were stupid, James." He muttered as he climbed back into bed. Tessa had to have known that Jace was her only living descendant. What could that do to a person?

* * *

While Jem was berating himself, Tessa was crying silently on the couch. She gripped her little clockwork angel in her hand, the metal wings cutting into her skin.

"Why did you have to leave me, Will? Don't I deserve happiness as well?" Tessa whispered to the ceiling. "I don't want to be alone anymore."

Tessa cried for a long time into the morning, only falling asleep when her body had finally given out from all of her crying. This time she slept soundly, but only for an hour or two.

Before Jem could get up, before even the sun was up, Tessa was out of Jem's apartment and walking the streets of New York. She hadn't picked a destination, but after a few minutes of walking, Tessa realized her feet were taking her to Magnus' apartment.

She stopped at the end of the block, not sure if Magnus was even there, or if he was with Alec (a very nice young man, Tessa thought.).

She sat on a neighbor's stoop, looking at Magnus' building's door. Tessa knew that if Magnus were home, he'd be happy to talk to her, so she wasn't really sure what was stopping her from going in.

After she had been sitting on the stoop for far too long, and just as she was preparing to go to the New York Institute, the door to Magnus' building opened. Tessa stood up, the man's face was blocked, but she'd know that hair anywhere. The wonderful black hair, with its gorgeous curls. Shorter than she was used to, but still the hair she had run her fingers through over and over.

Tessa began to run down the block, following curls that were moving in the opposite direction. She stopped just outside Magnus' building to chastise herself.

'What are you doing? You know he's gone! Stop being foolish, Tessa!" She wasn't aware that she had been practically shouting until the curls stopped and began to turn.

Tessa gasped as she made eye contact with beautiful blue eyes. Eyes that had once held all of the hops and dreams for her future. Eyes that had never lost their brilliance.

"WILL!" Tessa shouted as she ran down the sidewalk and flung herself into his arms.

Will's arms tightened around Tessa's waist and he buried his face in her hair. He breathed in her scent and stroked her hair.

"Oh Tess. My Tess. I've missed you so much." Will murmured, pulling away so he could lean down and kiss every inch of Tessa's face. All he could taste were the tears streaming from her eyes.

Tessa couldn't speak, she was so shocked. As Will held her, she clung tightly to his waist. Feeling his warm body comforted her and his heart beating under her cheek made her sob even harder.

"Come with me, Tess. Magnus is out." Will gently led Tessa up to Magnus' apartment, never letting go of her.

* * *

By the time they reached the apartment, no easy task since they were falling over each other trying to navigate the narrow hallway while attached at the hip, Tessa's sobs had faded to hiccups.

She sat on one of Magnus' velvet couches and hugged her arms tightly around her body, almost afraid to touch Will as he sat next to her, as close as he possibly could.

"How?" was the only thing she could say, he voice hoarse and scratchy from crying.

Will shrugged as he leaned over to brush Tessa's hair away from her face and wipe the left over tears from her cheeks. "I don't know, Tess. I honestly don't know. I wish I could tell you."

"But…but…why now? Why not when you first…" Tessa couldn't even get the word out, tears chocked her voice. Will immediately gathered her into his arms and stroked her back.

"I don't know, Tess. Maybe the Angel…thought you needed me?" Will looked into Tessa's eyes as if he needed confirmation that she did, in fact, need him.

"I always needed you Will. I barely made it those first few years. So many times I just wanted to die and join you. I had to leave James and Lucie and everyone because I couldn't even look at them without seeing you." Tessa wailed. "Why torture me for a century and then give you back?"

"All I know is that I woke up on Magnus' floor two weeks ago. I was terrified. I'd been nowhere and then all of a sudden I was here." Will frowned, "I wanted to find you as soon as Magnus had explained that you were here, in New York. He told me to wait. That I couldn't just surprise you."

Tessa laughed, a strange chocking sound, as if she hadn't laughed in years. This thought scared Will, how much damage had her years alone done? "And just seeing you on the street was supposed to be normal?"

"I don't think Magnus really had a clue as to what he was doing. After all, this is an entirely unprecedented situation." Will smiled, a little sideways tilt of his lips.

It was enough to set the butterflies that had so long been dormant flying around in Tessa's stomach.

"Oh Will, I still…I'm afraid they'll take you away again." Tessa buried her face in his chest.

"I won't let them. Not this time." Will clenched his jaw.

"We'll talk to Magnus. He'll know something. Or Robert and Maryse." Tessa babbled.

"Who?" Will looked confused.

"Oh," Tessa furrowed her brow. How much had Magnus told Will? How much did he know? She decided to tell him. "They run the Institute here. Robert and Maryse…Lightwood."

Will's face paled and his eyes filled with tears. "Lightwood. From…Cecy's side? Or Sophie and Gideon."

Will's face blurred as Tessa's eyes filled with tears, "Cecy."

"By the Angel." Will muttered, bringing his fists to his eyes and pressing. "By the Angel. I never…."

"I know. I know." Tessa murmured softly as she rubbed his back. "Believe me, I know."

"Are there many…Lightwoods?" Will asked, his voice catching.

Tessa nodded gently, "They have two children. Their youngest son died a few months ago."

Will dropped his head, "How old?"

"Nine." Tessa managed to choke out.

Will looked at his wife in horror, "So young. Too young."

"The others…Isabelle and Alec…they're lovely. Isabelle reminds me of Cecy." Tessa said through her tears.

Will let out a choked laugh, "Then she must be a right pain. I'm sure her brother is grey from dealing with her."

Tessa laughed, "Alec…he does worry about her. But she is more than capable of taking care of herself."

"Just like my Cecy, then." Will smiled.

"Just like her." Tessa sighed. "She reminds me of Lucie in a way."

"Nose always stuck in a book?" Will said, a sad smile gracing his lips, "Because _that_ does not sound like Cecily."

"No, not quite. She does try to keep up with the boys quite a bit. Usually even bests them when they're not expecting it."

"Boys?" Will questioned. "Are there more living in the Institute? You only mentioned Alec, was it?"

"Yes, Alec." Tessa said absently, she hadn't meant to bring Jace up quite so soon. "Well you see…his name is Jonathan…Jace."

Will nodded, "Nice name. We were going to name James, Jonathan at one point. Weren't we?"

Tessa nodded, "Yes, we were."

"You said Isabelle tries to keep up just like out Luce. I remember Luce fighting desperately to keep up with the Blackthorn boy." He scowled at the memory.

Tessa laughed, "Will, his name was Jesse and he was a perfect gentleman to Lucie."

"He still took my baby girl away." Will scowled, "So, is Isabelle taken with this Jonathan boy?"

Tessa had to laugh at Will's manner of speaking. He still spoke as if he were living in the 1800s. "No, she's not taken with Jace. She has a very nice boyfriend. His name is Simon." She conveniently omitted the fact that Simon was also a perfectly nice _vampire. _

"Does he treat her well?" Will asked, a fatherly concern audible in his tone. He had only known that Isabelle was related to Cecily for a few moments and he was already gearing up to protect her.

"Yes, very well. She's happy." Tessa sucked in a breath, "Will…there's something you should know about Jace."

"What? Is he a werewolf?" Will laughed, "A faerie? Or maybe a vampire?"

"No," Tessa tightened her grip on Will's hand, "He's a…Herondale."

If Tessa had thought Will's face went white before, she was mistaken. Even his knuckles went white, he was gripping Tessa's hand so tightly.

"He's…our…" Will swallowed, unable to speak. He shook his head and extracted his hands from Tessa's so he could shakily run them through his hair. Tessa watched him carefully.

"He's Owen's great-grandson." She offered up the information carefully.

"Owen." Will said the name almost reverently. Owen had been 25 when Will had died. The thought of him being a great-grandfather was almost too much for Will to comprehend.

His face crumpled and Will began to cry. Tessa gathered him close and rubbed his back, murmuring softly. After a few minutes, Will composed himself.

"Tell me about him." He demanded of Tessa, his eyes rimmed with red.

"He's wonderful, Will. He's just wonderful. I think I may be biased, of course." She smiled, and Will laughed.

"I'm sure you are." He rubbed at his hair, thinking. "And his parents? Owen's children and grandchildren."

Tessa frowned. She didn't actually know much about them. "I just know their names. Owen's son Marcus, was Jace's grandfather. And Stephen was Jace's father."

"Was?" Will questioned.

Tessa nodded, "Was. Robert and Maryse adopted Jace after Stephen and his wife, Celine died. We all knew that Shadowhunting is a dangerous lifestyle."

Will nodded. "I know that better than anyone. It still doesn't make the news any easier."

"I doesn't. I'm not exactly sure that I should have told you all of this." Tessa worried. "Magnus may have had plans for you to learn it slowly."

Will shook his head, "I don't care. Magnus would have given me little pieces and it would have taken me forever to see you again. I wouldn't have wanted to find out about Isabelle, Alec and Jace from anyone but you."

Tessa let him pull her in for a hug. He rested his chin on the top of her head and she gently twisted his shirt in her fist.

"What do we do now, Will?" Tessa asked, not expecting an answer.

"I want to meet him. Jace. Him and Alec and Isabelle. I want to know everything about them. I want to meet this Simon boy." Will was adamant.

Tessa twisted her neck to look up at her husband, "Of course. We are going to have to talk to Magnus about what caused you to come back to me."

Will nodded. "So what else can you tell me about our… what is Jace exactly?"

"Erm…" Tessa tried counting backwards in her head, "I believe he is our great-great-great- grandson."

"By the Angel! That far removed, huh?" Will was shocked.

Tessa nodded. "And wait until you see all the modern technology! You'll be so excited."

"I can't wait to learn all about it with you. Now tell me about our…Jace. Our Jace."

Tessa loved the sound of that. "Well, he's engaged to be married."

"Married? How old it this boy?" Will exclaimed.

"He's 19 years old, Will. Older than we were." Tessa reminded him.

"Still. Who's the lucky girl?"

"Why do you assume she's lucky? She is marrying a Herondale boy." Tessa teased.

Will puffed out his chest, "And that is precisely the reason she is lucky, Mrs. Herondale."

Tessa laughed, "I had forgotten how much you liked to call me that."

"Well, I'd best remind you, Mrs. Herondale." Will winked.

"Back to Jace. His fiancée, Clary, she's just an amazing, beautiful young lady. She's a Fairchild." Tessa smiled as she thought about the redhead she had met a few weeks ago.

"A Fairchild!" Will exclaimed. "Well that's brilliant. Has she got Henry's red hair, or is she more like Charlotte?"

"She's a bit like both. Red hair like Henry. Fierce and brave just like Charlotte."

Will laughed, "Good, a Herondale man needs someone to keep him in line. I have my Tess and Jace will have his Clary."

Will leaned down to kiss Tessa. She looped her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

When they broke apart, Tessa whispered, "I missed you so much"

Just as Will opened his mouth to respond, the door opened. Will and Tessa's head whipped around to see Magnus standing in the doorway.

"Oh, hello Tessa." The warlock smiled affably and shut the door behind him.

Tessa jumped up in a mild rage. She threw herself at Magnus and began punching his arms. "How could you keep this a secret from me?! How dare you? After all the sleepless nights and nightmares! You kept this from me!"

Magnus caught Tessa's hands. 'I apologize for that Tessa. It wasn't my intention to cause you any more pain."

By this point, Will had jumped off the couch and was now holding Tessa close to his body, an arm wrapped around her shoulder.

Tessa scowled, "I'd really like an explanation. This minute!"

Magnus sighed, "If you'd like to sit down, I'll try and explain as best as I can." He gestured to the couch that the Herondales had just vacated.

"Tea?" he asked, and when Will and Tessa shook their heads, he nodded, "Okay, I guess you two want some answers?"

Tessa shot him a look that covered her annoyance. Will simply nodded.

"Well, I've been poking around ever since Will just appeared. I've been looking in the Institute's library and some other tomes." He paused.

"And?" Will prompted.

"And, I can't find a damn thing." Magnus shook his head, "Nothing like this has ever happened before."

"But…but…what does it mean?" Tessa was gripping Will's hand as if he'd float away.

"It means, we've been given a second life." Will said slowly. "We get more years together, Tess."

Tessa turned to Will, "But how many? Do we get twenty? Fifty? A century? Forever?"

"I don't know, Tess. I don't know." Will tried to soothe Tessa as she began to cry.

Magnus lifted a finger, "Ah, if I could cut in? Will was mumbling something just before he woke up."

"I was?" Will looked up, his tone curious.

"You kept repeating the name of your Angel." Magnus recalled.

"Raziel?" Tessa gasped.

"That was it. You kept thanking him." Magnus rubbed a hand through his hair. He had an idea of what had happened, but he wasn't exactly sure.

"Magnus…do you think…I mean to say….is it possible that, Raziel resurrected me somehow?" Will was hesitant to voice his theory.

Magnus nodded, "That's precisely what I believe."

Tessa's mouth fell open, "Why? Why would Raziel care that much?"

Magnus shrugged, "Anything I say would be speculation. I don't know why, and I'm assuming the how is only something an Angel would know."

Tessa tucked her head into the space between Will's neck and shoulder. She breathed in his uniquely Will scent as all of the information she had just learned sunk in. The warm weight of his hand on her waist comforted her and calmed her racing heart.

"What are you thinking, Tess?" Will whispered into her ear.

"Just thinking about you. How unbelievable this all is." Tessa mumbled back. She omitted the fear that Will would die again one day, leaving her alone again.

"I'm going to go back to the Institute to do some more research. It is my belief that Will may have gained immortality." Magnus said, interrupting Tessa's train of thought.

"WHAT?" Husband and wife simultaneously whipped their heads up to look at their old friend.

"You heard me. Think about it. If your Angel really did send Will back, why would he just let you both suffer again when he dies?" Magnus was speaking candidly now, "Your Angel rewards people. For whatever reason, Tessa has been rewarded with the person she desires most."

"So, you're saying that there's a good chance Will has immortality now? That he'll be with me forever?" Tessa was trying to get clarification.

Magnus nodded, "I don't know anything for sure, but yes. You'll get forever."

* * *

Several hours later, Magnus had left for the Institute. His research was being kept a secret for now, as he and Tessa felt that it would be better if no one knew about Will for a bit.

Tessa and Will had spent time getting reacquainted with each other.

"As good as you remember?" Will smirked as he rolled off of Tessa and onto his side.

Tessa laughed, "You could use some practice."

Will gasped and held a hand to his chest, "You wound me, Mrs. Herondale."

"You didn't let me finish!" Tessa exclaimed, "You could use some practice, but so could I. And I'm perfectly willing to help you perfect…your technique."

Her sly smile was familiar to Will and he grinned back at her. "Well that's good to know. I'm not used to this New York place. I only remember all the brothels in London."

"Will!" Tessa swatted him on the arm, letting out a spurt of laughter as well.

"By the Angel, I've missed that sound." Will said, burying his nose in Tessa's hair. "I've missed every inch of you."

Tessa moaned lightly as Will began kissing a trail down the side of her body. "What…oh…what was it like?"

Will hummed against Tessa's skin before answering, "There really wasn't much. I think I just relived our life, over and over. I was with you, and then I wasn't. But even when I wasn't with you, I knew you and I could…it was like I was with you, but you were so far away and I couldn't reach you. And then I was here, on Magnus' floor."

"Oh," Tessa wasn't exactly sure what she had been expecting.

Will, as if sensing Tessa's uncertainty, said, "I know it's a terrible explanation, but it's the only one I've got. It's like you're alone, and yet, completely surrounded at the same time."

"That's got to be terribly awful after a while," Tessa remarked, threading her fingers through Will's black curls.

"I plan on making up for the time I spent alone," Will buried his face in Tessa's stomach, sliding his hand up the inside of her thigh.

Tessa arched her back as Will's fingers tapped out a rhythm against her body.

"Oh, Will-" She was cut off by Will firmly planting a kiss on her lips.

He whispered, "No more words," into her mouth and matched his rhythm with Tessa's.

They rolled around on the bed, emotions heightened by the long separation.

"I need you, Will. Now!" Tessa exclaimed, her voice wavering and her body trembling.

Will complied, and with a final thrust, they both reached ecstasy.

As they came off of their shared high, Will and Tessa were attached at the forehead, their bodies perfectly aligned and touching everywhere.

"Marry me." Will drawled into Tessa's ear.

She smiled lazily, "We're already married. Have been for over a century."

"Marry me again. I want to do it all over. In front of Jace, and Isabelle and Alec. Show them a real love story." Tessa looked into Will's eyes as he spoke. They were bluer than she'd ever seen them, and full of hope and love.

"Okay." Tessa said simply.

Will gently grabbed Tessa's hand, and slipped her wedding bands off of the fourth finger. Tessa thought her finger looked odd, being bare. She had never taken the gold rings off, not once in the past century.

She smiled as Will slid the rings back on her finger. He kissed the tip of her finger and then her palm.

"As much as I love you Will, I just can't go another round. I need food and a rest." Tessa laughed.

"Okay, Where should we go?" Will asked, leaning his head on his hand and looking down at Tessa.

"Should you leave the apartment? I can make something here if Magnus has food." Tessa chewed her lip, worrying.

Will waved his free hand, "Magnus gave me a five block radius. He thought it would be good for me to get some sort of understanding about this city."

"Okay," Tessa smiled, "I know a nice English pub, only two blocks away. It makes amazing fish and chips."

"Fantastic!" Will shouted, jumping out of bed. He began rummaging in his drawers to find a fresh pair of underwear and a new shirt. Tessa unabashedly stared at him as he got dressed. She loved the way his Shadowhunter muscles rippled in his back, the way he moved with a grace that she also saw in his fighting.

"I can feel you staring." Will said, a smile in his voice.

"I know." Tessa laughed. Will had purposely begun to dress slower, dragging his jeans over his legs while wiggling his butt.

"Come and get dressed. I'm starving." Will whined, pulling the grey cotton over his head.

Tessa had already climbed out of bed, "I'm up."

It was Will's turn to stare openly as Tessa pulled on her underwear and buttoned her shorts.

"I really quite like the new fashions." Will commented, picking up Tessa's thin tank top. "None of this extra fabric and giant skirts."

"That doesn't make it easier to get them off of me," Tessa winked and grabbed the fabric, pulling it over her sex-mussed hair.

"Well, it worked today, didn't it?" was Will's response as he captured Tessa's hand in his own and led her out of the apartment.

Tessa let out a snort and shook her head.

"So tell me about this new century I'm living in. Magnus covered most of the basics. Electricity. Technology. Phones." Will said as they walked along the sidewalk.

"Hmm, well I suppose it's a lot easier to get around. We have cars, as opposed to horse drawn carriages." Tessa began.

"Ah," Will cut in, "But are these cars faster than Bailos and Xanthos?"

Tessa smiled at the memory of the horses, "I don't actually know. Probably not."

"Hah! God, those horses were amazing." Will mused, recalling the way he had ridden poor Bailos to find Tessa.

* * *

"So what have you and Magnus been doing the past few weeks?" Tessa asked as she swiped a French fry off of his plate and dragged it through the ketchup.

Will swatted her hand away. He dunked his own fry into a small bowl of vinegar before answering.

"Well, like I said, it's mostly been Magnus teaching me about all the new technology that I've missed." He waved the fry in the air as he talked, splattering vinegar all over Tessa.

"Oh Will!" Tessa exclaimed.

"Oops, sorry about that, Tess. Here take my napkin." He passed his napkin over and Tessa blotted at her face.

"I'm going to smell like chips all day, you know that right?" Tessa laughed.

Will laughed with her, "I happen to like chips quite a bit. Anyway, back to what Magnus and I have been doing. He showed me this program where historians try to decide who would have won in a fight. Have you seen it?"

Tessa nodded, of course Will would like a show like that.

He continued, "Anyway, the other night they decided Genghis Khan would have beaten Alexander the Great! Can you believe that, Tess? Hah, it's as if these people didn't know Alexander was Nephilim."

"Erm, well they don't. People still don't-"

Tessa's ringing cell phone cut her off.

Will looked intrigued as Tessa pulled the phone from her small purse. "Is that one of those cellular phone things Magnus was talking about?"

"It's cell phone, and yes." Tessa let out a groan when she saw the many missed call and text message alerts. "Oh no..."

"What happened?" Will leaned across the table to try and look at the screen of Tessa's phone.

She chewed on the inside of her cheek before answering, "It's...um...Jem."

Will fell back into his seat. He brushed his hand through his hair, knotting and tousling the curls. "Jem. As in, Jem Carstairs? Our Jem?"

"Yes," Tessa whispered, silencing her phone.

"I thought...Magnus never said..." Will couldn't seem to form a complete sentence.

"Well he very well wouldn't. If he didn't tell you about me, why would he say anything about Jem?" Tessa pointed out.

Will nodded, "Yes, yes. But...if Jem is a Silent Brother how can he use a phone?"

Tessa gave Will a sympathetic look as he figured it out.

"He's not, is he? I mean to say, he's not a Silent Brother anymore." Will blinked, trying to wrap his head around this conclusion.

"No, he's not." Tessa said simply.

Will shut his eyes briefly, "And...he is cured?"

Tessa knew he meant the addiction. "Yes, he's cured. But he's also mortal."

Will blew out a breath, "I wasn't expecting this." And then, as if the thought had just occurred to him, he said, "You and he…have you erm, done anything?"

Tessa's eyes widened, "I would never, Will. I've just spent the entire afternoon in bed with _you_! Do you really think that I would have done that if I were in a relationship with Jem?"

Will remained silent, he knew he had been wrong to insinuate anything. But Tessa misconstrued his silence.

"By the Angel! You do!" She jumped up from the table and slammed her hands onto the table, "I can't believe you'd think that Will! I've spend the past century plus mourning you! I haven't _looked_ at another man! I may love Jem, but never in a way that could lead me away from you."

Will chased after Tessa as she stormed out of the pub. "I'm sorry, Tess. I never meant to suggest that you would do something like that." He grabbed her hands and held them tight.

Tessa refused to look at him. Will sighed, but continued talking.

"Tess, you have to forgive me. Well, actually you don't, but I'd appreciate it if you did. In a way, I always knew I'd fight Jem for your affection. Even back then, when you'd meet him at Blackfriars."

Tessa gasped, "You knew?"

Will smiled sadly, "Of course I knew, Tess. You may be Nephilim and you may have runes, but even you weren't completely quiet when you were pregnant with James."

"Oh, I didn't know that you knew." Tessa said softly, looking at hers and Will's intertwined fingers.

"I didn't want you to know. I knew you needed to have that one day a year with Jem. After all, you were engaged to him."

"I—"

"You don't have to explain, Tess. You really don't. I always knew that you loved us both, and I hoped you loved me just a little bit more."

"I did!" Tessa exclaimed, "I do! I may love Jem, but there's only one man for me, and that's you."

Will smiled, "Thank you for that. But, can I finish?"

Off of Tessa's nod, Will continued, "I'd be lying if I said that I didn't harbor fears that you'd run to Jem as soon as I died. That somehow he'd stop being a Silent Brother and you two would be together. It was stupid, but that's what I thought. And just now, hearing that he'd been looking for you, all of those fears returned."

Tessa remained quiet, even though she wanted desperately to tell Will he was being stupid.

"I know it's difficult to keep quiet," Will and Tessa shared a smile, "Thank you for that though."

"I love you so much, Will. More than any one person should love another being." Tessa cupped Will's cheeks in her hands. "Jem has been a wonderful _friend_ to me these past few months. But that's all it is."

Will relaxed into Tessa's hands, "Thank you, Tess."

"For what?" Tessa smiled.

"For waiting. For being you. For James and Lucie. For making me the happiest man to ever live twice."

He placed his hands over hers and leaned down to kiss Tessa deeply. When they pulled apart, Tessa laughed lightly.

"What? Have I lost my touch in just a few hours?"

"No, I'm just thinking about how absurd this all is!" Tessa shook her head, "Just twelve hours ago I was waking up from a nightmare about losing you and now I'm in your arms again. It's surreal."

"Nightmares?" Will asked, his tone full of worry.

Tessa frowned, she hadn't meant for him to ask about her nightmares. And she certainly didn't want to tell Will about them. She waved a hand, "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

Will swung his and Tessa's intertwined hands between them as they walked back to Magnus' apartment. "I'll always worry about you, Tess. Are they bad? Do they happen often?"

Tessa wound a piece of hair around her finger, stalling before she answered, "Not very often. They came more frequently after I met Jace."

Will frowned, a crease appearing in between his eyebrows, "You said you had one this morning, what was it about?"

When Tessa visibly hesitated, Will reminded her, "We had only one secret when we were married, and I found that one out. If you don't want to tell me this one, I'll just find out anyway."

Tessa scowled, "Fine. There are varying levels of…intensity, and last night's was one of the worst ones I've had in a long time." She paused to suck in a shaky breath, "Some of them as so ridiculous, that I know they can't be real. And then others…"

Tessa shivered, remembering her latest nightmare. Will brushed his fingers lightly over Tessa's bare arms. "I'm sorry, Tess. I didn't realize. You don't have to tell me if it's too much."

Tessa shook him off, "No. I want to tell you. I need to tell someone else."

"You haven't told Jem? You've been staying with him, haven't you?" Will was curious.

Tessa shook her head, "No, I haven't. I've only been with Jem for a few weeks. There has been too much time in between us for he and I to be very close anymore."

Will nodded slowly, he understood exactly what Tessa meant. While he wanted to see his former _parabatai_ again, he wondered what they could possibly have in common anymore, what with Jem having been in the Silent City for over a century.

"But this one was horrible. It felt so real. So, so real. You and I, we were fighting, not a fight, but against demons. And you said something, something so very _Will_ and I stopped to laugh and smile at you. And…" Tessa took a shuddering breath, wrapping her shaking hands around her body, "You got distracted by me. A demon sliced you right through the heart. You went down and I ran to you. I held you and…and you said, 'This is on you, Theresa. I blame you for my death.' And you died in my arms"

Tessa broke into sobs, her entire body shaking. Will stood for a moment in shock and then wrapped his frame around Tessa's trying to stop her shaking.

"Oh Tessa, you know I'd never blame you. If that ever happened, it would never be your fault." Will smothered his face in Tessa's hair, only partially aware of the tears falling from his own eyes.

Tessa was saying something, but her words were muffled by Will's chest. Will pulled away slightly so he could hear her.

"Do you…have a stele?" Tessa gasped out. Will could see that she was having difficulty breathing.

"Yeah," Will procured the thin rod from his back pocket and handed it to Tessa. Her hands were shaking so badly that she dropped it. Will picked it up. "What do you need, Tessa?"

"Calm." Tessa had shut her eyes and was trying to even out her breathing.

Will understood and grabbed Tessa's hand. He saw several faded Calmness runes on her arm. Saying nothing, Will added to the collection. As the rune kicked in, Tessa's breathing slowed and she exhaled.

"I'm sorry, Will. Thank you." Tessa averted her eyes, and looked down at her sneakers.

"What's there to be sorry about? You've been through a lot." Will pocketed his stele, and reached out to brush the tears off of Tessa's cheeks.

Tessa didn't say anything, so Will led her up and into Magnus' apartment. She was quiet for the rest of the afternoon. Will made her tea and sat in the couch with her, letting Tessa tuck her feet under his body and wind herself close to him.

Tessa fell asleep a few minutes later and Will didn't blame her. She'd had a long, emotional day. As hard as he tried, however, Will couldn't bring himself to sleep either. He needed to stay awake and watch over Tessa, make sure she wasn't haunted by nightmares.

Tessa slept soundly with Will stroking her arm or her hair. She never stirred and never shouted out. Unfortunately, her cell phone began to ring, and Will had no idea how to work it.

"Hand it over." Tessa mumbled, still half asleep. Will dropped the phone into her hand, and kissed the top of her head.

"I'm going to get some water." Off of Tessa's nod, Will gently maneuvered himself out from under Tessa's head and went into Magnus' kitchen.

* * *

Tessa recognized the number immediately and reluctantly slid the bar to answer Jem's call.

"Hullo, Jem."

"Where on Earth have you been all day?" Jem, usually so reserved, was shouting now. "I've been out of my mind with worry."

Tessa frowned, "I'm sorry about that Jem. I really am, but I'm a grown woman. I don't actually have to tell you what I'm up to."

Jem was silent for a minute, and Tessa realized how harsh she had just sounded. She was just about to apologize when Jem spoke.

"No, you're right. You don't have to tell me what you've been up to. I just thought, that because of your…well, you know…you might be a little vulnerable and want to be around someone today." Jem sounded hurt and Tessa felt sorry for that.

"I have been around someone today." She spoke slowly, almost afraid to give away too much of her day. And Tessa had to be honest with herself, she didn't want to share Will again.

"With who? Not Magnus, because I've seen him at the Institute. Is he in on what you've been up to, because he was very cagey about your whereabouts."

"Erm, you could say that." Tessa inserted her thumbnail between her teeth and began chewing. "Look Jem, I swear I'll explain it all. I just need some more time, okay?"

"Okay, Tessa. Am I correct in assuming that you won't be home tonight?" Jem let out a long suffering sigh.

"Oh, Jem, but I am home." Tessa smiled and hung up before Jem could ask what she meant.

Will stepped back into the living room at that moment. He stopped when he saw the way Tessa was looking at him.

"What, have I got something on my face?" He wiped at the corners of his mouth, frowning.

Tessa laughed, "No, no you're perfect."

"Well, of course. I already knew that." Will laughed as he threw himself back onto the couch. Tessa smiled and nuzzled her face into his shoulder. "What're you thinking, Tess?"

"New York used to be my home, centuries ago. Then I became a Londoner and a nomad."

"Yeah?" Will raised an eyebrow, waiting for Tessa to continue.

"I've found my home again."


End file.
